Sweet, Sweet Starhawk BETA News!!!

Boy, do I have some exciting news to share with all of our Warhawk fans today, but first, let me serve you all some delicious hors d’oeuvres de internets!

We were so happy with the response to Starhawk at PAX that the SCEA marketing machine leveled-up, cast Videozzaga and summoned a quick video of our Santa Monica Sr. Producer Harvard Bonin talking with people at the show in Seattle after they got hands-on with Starhawk!

Not only was it great to see people loving Starhawk at PAX, the team and I love seeing coverage and buzz about the game start to pick up speed. And with our announcement last week that early access keys for the Starhawk Public Beta will be included in Uncharted 3, well… things are now moving forward at ludicrous speed! It was great to read all the comments, tweets and Facebook posts from players who are just now getting introduced to Starhawk’s gameplay and universe and the LightBox Interactive team and I can’t wait to see all of you online in early 2012!

But Dylan, you ask, what about now? Did you forget about us? What about all of the die-hard Warhawk fans who waited patiently for Starhawk to emerge from the shadowy nether regions of game development?

Five words: Private. Beta. Starting. In. November!

Let me explain.

Normally before a team releases a Public Beta for a game, the dev team goes through a phase known as the closed beta or “Private Beta.” This is when the dev team works very closely with a small group of colleagues from the publisher, quality assurance (QA) team, or very close friends to make sure things are solid, the gameplay is tuned, big bugs are squashed, etc. It’s all about a tight feedback loop and close interaction with the developer.

And we want the team here at LightBox Interactive to have that close communication with our Warhawk fans! Even as I write this blog post I’m still blown away that SCEA has approved this!

Ok, let’s break it down:

We’re going to be starting the Private Beta in November and we’ll be sending a bunch of our Warhawk players (European players too!!) special email invites with Starhawk Private Beta keys. We’re going to be letting players into the Private Beta in waves so we can manage the server load, watch the game balance analytics, etc. The order in which players are granted access is a dark art known only to Sith-IT-Managers and Gywn, Lord of Cinder. But, suffice it to say it’s a mix of your rank/level in Warhawk, your involvement in the Warhawk community, and a few other magical parameters.

So keep checking your email like a Hawk!

Like what I did there?

SCEA has setup a secure forum where all the Warhawk players that are granted access into the Starhawk Private Beta will be able to talk directly with me, and some of our other team members here at LightBox Interactive. We’ll be posting our special PlayStation Network handles so you know when you’re playing with one of us online and we’ll be on VOIP in-game so you can talk directly to us if you want to!

We’re really looking for lots of feedback to help make sure Starhawk is as solid and tuned as possible. So we’ll be actively requesting comments on tuning changes and other game updates that we’ll be making to Starhawk throughout the Private Beta.

And this is a *key* part of the process because we are going to be validating our SkillScore player ranking system as well as weapon and Build & Battle game balance. Our new Hot-Fix system lets us really keep up with the demands of the community so we’ll be trying to push updates almost every day.

We’ll be going into more details on which features will be included in the Private Beta in the coming weeks, but for now, I hope our Warhawk player community is as excited about this opportunity as we are!!!

And for all the Warhawk players that are going to be helping us play Starhawk during the Private Beta, we have a special “gift” planned for all of you when Starhawk is officially released. Oh the
anticipation… THE ANTICIPATION!!!!!

*deep breath*

Ok…what’s next? Oh yeah…

And lastly, no blog post would be complete without my obligatory mention of our website, www.StarhawkTheGame.com —so keep tabs on it because SCEA will be updating it with all the latest as things really start to get rolling for Starhawk!

AWESOME NEWS! I was in the original Warhawk beta and have hundreds of hours in Warhawk, so hopefully I make it into the beta.

I waited in line and played the demo at PAX and was incredibly impressed, not just with the game, but that you had knowledgable staff on hand who actually made note of questions/concerns (there was no switch sticks or southpaw option available on the PAX demo and the guy actually made a note to check regarding the status of this because Warhawk had this option and it’s the only way my husband can play).

It was several months ago that I played at PAX and the game was already looking incredibly good and played really well… can’t wait to see what you’ve done since then!

DYLAN!!!! I put in about 100 hours or more in Warhawk, purchased all of the DLC, and am a huge fan of this franchise and your team’s involvement in the community. I have been hyping this game up big time to my clan. So can I ppppppplease (Roger Rabbit sytle) get into this private beta?

Oh my I am begging now…..see what you did? To much awesomeness!!!

In all seriousness, you guys are great and wish you and your team the best. You all deserve it.

hey I am a brig general but i 387359 points in wahawk but dont have the air to air kills :( do i still get in the privite beta? i only have 3500 a2a kills but i think i am one of the best warhawk fans :) and i am a lot of youtube video and my 2nd account starhawkVideos i am a lot of starhawk videos :)

I am a true warhawk fan, it was my first online experience on the PS3 and I bought it day one.. I played the game for years, but I never got to the max rank. I loved that game so much I changed my PSN to match it, but because of that I had to rank up all over again which led to me never getting to General status… I really do hope that by some random luck I get in, I’ve really been looking forward to this ever since I knew about the mysterious Starhawk domain name (hahaha). even if I don’t get in I want to thank you guys over there for providing the true fans such an honor. It is amazing how fans are allowed to join the private beta, even more so seeing how a lot of people treat betas as demos… Kudos to you :)

Well, I’m no General but I played the heck out of Warhawk and have been very active on it as of late. I managed to get a Rifthunter skin from Sharp_Dagger over at Starhawkradio.com as well. I interact w/those guys there and on Starhawk’s facebook page. If I’m lucky enough to be chosen, you’d get someone who contributes. If not, I trust you’ll be somewhat selective and not just grab all the Generals(some of them got there ‘suspiciously’). I’m not trying to start a glitching/stat padding debate, but if there’s a way to separate the ‘legit’ Generals from the ‘not so legit’ one’s, I’m down with that. Heck, all you have to do is sign on to warhawk and look at the player hosted servers. Lots of them are titled things like “Rank up here” or “No kills”, etc.

Exciting news, but Dylan i have one question/problem.
I played Warhawk a lot (really a lot), but I preferred to play on *non ranked servers* (for Splitscreen with my friend) and didn’t play much on the ranked servers, so i’m not very high ranked (e.g. General). Have i still a chance for the private beta of Starhawk?

I love you Dylan, hoping I get in early being a plat general so I can provide some feedback. Just one quick and easy question, will the private beta testers still be able to play once the beta has gone public for the Uncharted people?

I know you guys said you are only going to have two player split-screen on the online matches but will you have four player split-screen on the offline co-op because my friends and I love to play four player split-screen.

Dylan Jobe, You are THE MAN. You and the whole crew are doing an Amazing Job. The anticipation is killing me :)
i wish i had a time machine to go to the future and play StarHawk!! I’ve always wondered, have you ever seen Warhawk montages on YouTube? lol, me and my friends enjoy making them. Starhawk is so gonna be the Game of the Year!!! =D

Hi, Dylan!!! I hope I get my beta as I’m not a Warhawk general (yet) but I’m the crazy Brazilian girl from E3 (if that counts for a magical parameter used for beta selection)
I bet I have more logged hours in Starhawk than most Warhawk general out there. At least 12 more hours :)
Thanks from the great game, I can’t wait to play it again.

Ok, so back when the ps3 came out I wanted one so bad, but couldn’t afford one. I went to a friend’s house who owned one and saw him playing Warhawk! I loved the game so much that I asked for a ps3 and Warhawk for christmas and to my surprise I received both of them :) A friend of mine plays with me alllll the time! I have literally over 30 days worth of gameplay! The only thing is, my rank is not really really high because of an achievement with the warhawk that I can’t get. Does this mean I might not get a private beta? I am a die-hard fan and can not wait for starhawk to come out! Thanks for everything you guys do! Also, what would be a wise major in college to work for someone like you guys? Right now I’m a second year engineer but really really want to work with a crew to develop new games. Thanks for everything LBI!!!

After over 1600 hours in Warhawk, general, a CTF tournament winner, and I was active participant in the community before the psn outage(since then Ive had problems logging in) what are my odds? Also about how many hours a day will you need out of me and what days would it be on?

I have about 712 hours in Warhawk with 4000+ posts in the forums, which I haven’t visited much as with many others since the change of Sony’s forum. Will I be in that magical range for the private beta or will I be in the public beta with many people who have never put an hour into warhawk? I am just looking for some general qualifications on who is considered a “Veteran”.

I hope that the ranking system has been revamped, as you shouldn’t be required to pull off certain in-game feats to rank up. I’ve been stuck on one of the ranks for a while now despite having enough points to deserve moving up two more ranks.

Hi Dylan, Starhawk news are getting better and better. I hope that I can get in cuz im only a wingman. I still remember the first time I played Warhawk and I dint liked it (because i sucked at it) and after I while I tried the hawks and tanks and that changed my mind. And since that moment im a huge fan and I love Warhawk and specially Starhawk and I wish that ive be picked.
And thank u very much and the team for bringing us this wonderful game in “2012”.

hook me up with a beta key pleeaassee!! lol , are there any future plans (that you can hint at ) on making starhawk a downloadable title i personally think warhawk is 1 of the best downloadble titles on psn ill still be playing it after starhawks release just like i do confrontation (S4=stink)

To bad I can’t level up in Warhawk, if I could might have had a shot at the Starhawk privet beta. But this game looks very cool with both a multi-player and a campain mode. I loved the style of Warhawk and I know I will love this more!!!

You speak like a true ignoramus. Nulls and ignorant sheep such as yourself should just go, to there corner and be forgotten. You do, not even know me, and yet you tell me to go to Microsoft and play on an “Xbox360″. Why, is it that I have to tolerate such ignorance even? How, about you just take your own advice or even go, head-butt a bullet? You’d be doing me a favor, and the community a major one.

As for the rest of this blog. I find it utterly hilarious to watch so, many of the old community members, begging and even whimpering as they crawl like roaches and insects. Scavenging desperately for that oh so precious “beta” invitation. Flaunting even bragging about how, many hours or years they have poured into a game, and even other various functions. Thank you, for the good laugh. I needed one.

Can you plz have it where you can choose no planes it is no fun when the enemy uses planes all the time. Like right now i cant step on the map without being killed by a dang plane. Its no fun when they do that.

Not to say that your wrong about their being some immature followers of warhawk, but, the audience of the game ranges from early teens through easily 30’s and 40’s. People are not necessarily “begging” for a beta invite but simply expressing their want for one by hinting that they have played warhawk a plethora and could really help out with feedback when it comes to starhawk. So how about you take your ignorant comments and lay them to rest. This blog is meant for fans and those who want to enjoy the fact that starhawk is approaching soon and they may be able to help out and provide sufficient feedback. So from my point of view, LEAVE US PROUD WARHAWK/STARHAWK FANS ALONE! We love what we do and games are our passion. Stop embarrassing yourself and do us all a favor by taking your rude and unneeded comments elsewhere.

@58 are you joking me? Time played (which usually equates to rank as well) should be the main determining factor of who gets the private beta invite. But no, you are right, people who can’t play as much should get in because they are just great guys! *facepalm*

@bgrutt
Most likely Rorek has more hours and community connections in Warhawk than you and tons of people. He is in many ways a very big fan of Warhawk. That being said, I do find his labeling harsh. Thirty seconds to display interest in the beta should not warrant the claim of “wimpering” or “begging”. People were infatuated with Warhawk as one of the original PS3 shooters that gave the system something unique. They have the right to show genuine interest in Starhawk without being scrutinized. To each their own Rorek. Lastly, Rorek does have a wonderful point. I know when I posted on the forums and affiliated myself with clans as I do now with SUGA that we did not view rank as a proper representation of a skilled or good Warhawk player, or even a decent human being. Players like JayDavis, Markjayw, Chiefsfan, and many others are infamous high ranked players. Many were skilled, but also many were racist, drama heavy, immature, and unskilled members of the community. That being said that takes away nothing from their fandom and they do deserve a spot in the beta, if earned.

@Mini-Sal,
Oh, I am so utterly terrified by a member of BSK (Bomb Squad Kittens.) No, not really, but I hope you know that hours poured in should only ever be a “contributing” factor. I’m not saying one should be picked by KDR (Kill to Death Ratio) or the alike. However, I feel we should have many contributing factors; such as, Dylan Jobe, even nicely pointed with time spent within the communities or the such. Nonetheless though using time spent in deciding whom will be invited or not to a “beta” is pretty weak. Especially considering anyone could (and has) in past and present just left their console running while playing Warhawk. Not to mention most of those whom have poured countless hours into Warhawk do “not” play Warhawk anymore either.

@bgrutt,
Again. You do not know me. Infact while I may not have a thousand hours invested in-game I am and have been playing Warhawk on this profile since early december and late november of ’07. Just like many of the old community members I did GameBattles and even the GGL tournament, and I even continue to play to this day every so often. As for my leaving. It’s doubtful, but I may get bored with the theatrics of some here soon.